I am in total agreement of the article. But I somehow feel that India might not enter a military alliance with the USA, as it follows a non-alignment policy.
And about China, India and China are really closing up for friendship and India might act as a channel to condense the quarrels between USA and China and bridge the gap between Communist and the Democratic world, but nothing more than it.

Knowing its behaviours like Henry the 8th who is addicted to wife-chopping and beating, it would ber wiser for the Indians to remain as a mistress rather than wifely ally to the Hegemon. It will be a Win-Win arrangement as the Indians could make use of all the military helps and nuke technological transfers to contain China from the southern flank.

India has no intention to contain any nation. Pakistan an exception though.
we already have world class technologies to build nuks, and our military is not dependent on USA for any help.
Yes we do import a lot of weapons, but we always have our best friend the Russians to supply us all we need.

Our interest is more than military dominance.
We have a huge population, who are below poverty. We need Chinese assistance to curb it, just as much as we need USA.
Our neighbours are either enemies or neutral. We hardly have any friends in the neighbourhood, our relationship with China will help a lot in growing friendship with neighbouring nations.

The USA has done much more harm to India compared to the Chinese aggressions.
1971 nuke threat, supporting and sponsoring terrorist nations, heavy sanctions etc. until 2004, we have always found ourselves on the opposite sides.
A USA-India friendship has long way to go, and lot of matters to condense.
And India allying USA against China; I don't think so. Reason is that we are going towards long term friendship plans, and China is an ally of Russia.

Well I did not get the point in you sharing the link.
What I have posted is the Indian view about future relationships.
The link you have shared is US defense secretory Penetta's views and proposals.
This Penetta guy had once, not too long back called India a potential threat to US interests in Asia.
We don't trust him anymore.

Oh! I did not get it the first time.
Well in that way, almost all south Asian countries are moving away from USA.
May be we are choosing another candidate for being the world super power. CHINA.
Or at least Asian superpower

Well in that way, almost all south Asian countries are moving away from USA.]

As I see it, almost all the developing world is moving away from Uncle.

[May be we are choosing another candidate for being the world super power. CHINA.

Or at least Asian superpower]

I hope both China and India will get there together. Both had gone through the same degradation and humiliations by the white West and its lackeys. It is only fair that they get their turn to right all the wrong the West had done to them and to other poor countries. I think that is Karma-- An Indian concept.

Well, we still have a long way to go to move away from the uncle. We have yet to make our economy independent of them. We still widely depend on the US for our incomes and securities. May be two decades from now, we can be on par with uncle.
We can face him with our army, but cannot take the beating of economy. They have money and they have wheat. We have wheat but no money. We are yet to suck out what they looted from us.

All we can do now is to keep him away from our shores, and from our friendships and disputes.
As far as I see, India and China fighting a territorial war is not half as devastating as India fighting on behalf of USA. We have a responsibility to help and guard Asia.
As the old Chinese say "ALL UNDER ONE HEAVEN" and as the new Indian says "FROM BATTLE TO PEACE".

US is the Present and China is the future, any country in the world would want to make sure it has appropriate ties with these two countries. After many years of aligning itself with Russia, India is well aware of the opportunity cost involved, but ultimately India will not be able ride both boats (China and US) as there will be conflicts between the the two (US and China) hence ultimately India will have to decide, where to put most of its eggs.

It is actually a good dog live for UK and Japan. In the age of Imperial concubinage, the Hegemon will offer both his charms like in the case of Indian girl friend and drone sticks as in the case of Pakistan ally.

Take advantage of cheap Chinese production till it lasts. Small and medium industries are not destroyed, the incompetent are destroyed. Competition with China is a good opportunity to increase competitiveness of your own industry.

For their part, the Chinese are indeed unfortunate to burn their midnight oil and cut the supper to produce goods cheap enough for the rest of the world to buy. It degrades their workforce and famishes their population. But it it their choice ... we will buy that cheap chinese trinket even if it means it is soaked in chinese blood. Too bad for them as the market only cares for the price. It saves our money while the real human price is paid by them. Cruel but just !

[No Mistin reply to Ashish2 hours 1 min ago
Take advantage of cheap Chinese production till it lasts. Small and medium industries are not destroyed, the incompetent are destroyed. Competition with China is a good opportunity to increase competitiveness of your own industry.

For their part, the Chinese are indeed unfortunate to burn their midnight oil and cut the supper to produce goods cheap enough for the rest of the world to buy. It degrades their workforce and famishes their population. But it it their choice ... we will buy that cheap chinese trinket even if it means it is soaked in chinese blood. Too bad for them as the market only cares for the price. It saves our money while the real human price is paid by them. Cruel but just !]

Another piece of Indian mind that I can never understand: "It degrades their workforce and famishes their population." Isn't that the Chinese call "Ah Q spirit"?

Which planet do you live on? Remember the 1960's debacle? Maybe the Russians will step in. India has always done best by surrendering, and carrying on with life. Real knock down wars are not in India'a cultural or historical context. This is not a pride issue. Just the way it is.

Yes, basket of eggs, gone past their sell-by date...name ten best selling lines to China,America.... but from America Indians are eagerly seeking ways and means to extend their Visas by Q&A on Indian Radio Shows.American-Indian Immigration advisor does his best to answer.

English is not English anymore,Sir,it is an old trick of Gora Sahibs ,finding faults with English of the Natives,it was deliberate ploy.
My posts are answered point by point by others who respond,believe they understood my imperfect vernacular.
My enquiry was to ascertain Indian rise in the export market but you gave twisted response.
TE is one of many on the game with colonial mind set,try studying ,Die Welt,Die Zeit, German Press.....they mean what they write, never double speak.....
MR George Orwell was well on the spot with his book entitled 1984
Lingua Franca, be it may, but econonomical with the truth, tell lies in English...follow Westminister Enquiry into Press Standards...see PM grilled in Q&A sessions.

>{History tells us that the British Colonial Power used millions of Indian troops as "Canon-fodders" in all their wars}

Good example. You are entirely correct that Indians were used as cannon fodders in all Birtish wars.

Now let us take a look at the modern world. In the modern world, wars are not the deciding factor for global dominance. Trade and commerce are. The equivalent of cannon-fodder would be a population (foreign or otherwise) which can be exploited to the hilt so that cost competitiveness is maintained. The US practised such a thing regarding the slave blacks. The British practised this regarding the Indian farmers.

In the modern world, such subjugation of a foreign population is very difficult but a repressive regime can do it to it's own population.

The British Raj valued enlisted Indian army men much more than 'cannon fodder'. From the early 19th century to the end of the second world war, there are no battles I can recall, where Indian soldiers were used as 'cannon fodder'.

Indian soldiers helped to put down the Boxer Revolution in China.

If you are interested in Military History, please read about the Korean War and how Mao Tse Tung used Chinese soldiers for his 'wave after wave' attack. They were, indeed, used as 'cannon fodder'. Mao did not value the life of a Chinese in those days. Only his ideology was supreme. None or nothing else mattered.

The Sikhs and other Indian groups who fought for the British Raj did not die in vain. They stopped Nazi Germany and Fascist Japan from dominating Asia.

Nearly four million Indians now live and work in the U.K. They are represented in British Parliament, business, arts and theatre.

Sure ,---the Brits loved the Indians so much that ---now---India is accusing CHURCHILL of taking away food meant for Bengal to feed British troop that caused the "GREAT FAMINE " of Bengal where 10s of millions of Indians died of starvation (1945)

History tells us that millions of poorly trained Indian troops were simply slaughtered by the Japanese soldiers in every battle in Burma, Malaya, Spore, === that;s how much they love them

You are all over the discussion. Have you heard of the idiom, 'dragging a red herring'? You drag several 'red herrings' and your wind blows only in one direction, 'east'!

I am addressing your point that the British Raj used Indian soldiers as 'cannon fodder'. I told you that the 'supreme leader' of your country followed a deliberate policy during the Korean War of making 'cannon fodder' of his young men.

Reliable casualty figures are available for the Indian casualties in the full strength Japanese attack of India's Assam from Burma, during 1944-45.

Indian soldiers did very well fighting for their native land. Japanese could not break into Imphal in Assam.

Are you aware of how poorly trained imperial Chinese troops were slaughtered by the Japanese in 1930s in Manchuria?

Don't go into emotive declarations of whether the British 'loved' or 'hated' Indians.

Life may well teach you in the end that none 'loves' or 'hates' anyone for ever, or does so 100%.

Like most Indians I too like America. However, more important than a relationship with US is a good working relationship with China. We need their expertise in eliminating poverty and tackling social issues. At one stage they have been through where we are currently, and will understand us better than any western country. Equally important is having peace with Pakistan and our other neighbors. Peace and good governance is what will drive India forward.

The American, Pakistanis and Indians have been toying around with terrorist groups with disastrous consequences. Indians have found 2 PMs assassinated. Hopefully all three will eventually abandon using terrorists to achieve geo-strategic goals. India has made some progress. But the Hegemon and Pakistan seem to be slow learners despite the high price currently paid by the innocents both at home and abroad especially in the Middle east.

India found out the hard way that you dont toy with terrorist groups. Pakistan is finding that out now. They no longer support Kashmiri and Uighur terrorists, because they can also hurt Pakistan. I agree some of America's policies are flawed, especially in the middleeast.

By the way, Happyfish18, I have been following your posts for a long time. I am a huge fan:)

If being "allies" mean having drones hovering over your heads and having US military bases in India , its better that India keeps it to just friends with US. Its good to know that that US is a democracy and all that comes along with it but that democracy is for only US citizens .As for Indian democracy ,Inter alia it can be realised only if the will and interest of Indians dictates India's foreign policy which has been largely the case till now and shall remain so. Unfortunately as experience has shown, an ally to the US may not have such freedom to decide.Lastly , China unlike USA is a neighbor to India , long term friendship with it should not be jeopardised just for the sake of entertaining what seems like an ephemeral shift in US foreign policy largely aimed at containing China's rise.

In a nutshell , Couple of Nighstands- perhaps yes , Any Strings -a big NO .

It is good for some Indian cronies to be sleep promiscuously with the Hegemon but nevertheless they need to take some percautions so as not to catch some deadly diseases. Otherwise we may end up like a recent tragic case of the beheading enraged father.

India's long-term politics are difficult to understand by outsiders. They still maintain some of the old colonial ties to Britain, their were for decades allied with the Soviet Union, they made war with both their neighbours China and Pakistan. It is only natural that other countries would be wary of such wildly changeable politics.

The SCO is a joke. There is no point to the SCO other than trying to anger the US and frighten NATO in Afghanistan. The SCO is filled with despotic regiems trying to save themselves and by the Chinese who are trading the “promise” of strength by joining SCO in exchange for Central Asian nations selling China oil. India has nothing in common with SCO nations.

Unlike 20 years ago, today there are nearly 1 million Indian Americans in the United States. Almost every middle class family in India has a close relative or family member in the United States. The Indian Prime Minister’s daughter lives in the United States and almost ALL of the Indian elite have their kids who either have studied or now live and work in the US. This Indian Diaspora gives the USA and India a very critical source of contact that has still not been fully exploited by both sides adequately to bridge the trust deficit between the two nations.
America has a bad reputation for being an unreliable friend in India and India being a very young country ruled by people who were born during or just after India attained Independence makes its leaders extremely leery about letting another foreign power get close. There is an unconscious fear that India gets too close to the West, the Western powers will somehow subjugate Indians or exploit Indians once again and thus the Indian government has held autonomy and non-alignment as the primary policy imperative since independence.

Except you do not understand Indian inscrutability. NAM was never a policy objective for India. It was a tool to marshal the rest of the developing world. And to keep guessing the cold-warring states as to it's true intentions.

The moment India saw NAM as irrelevant, it was junked. Some NAM nations are yet to see through this Indian smokescreen, which suits India just as well.

That would be true if not for the fact that India was a founding member of NAM and was repeatedly espoused non-alignment by its founding members like Nehru as being a cornerstone of Indian foreign policy. Marshaling the third world have more to do with its anti-colonial objectives than any cloak and dagger shell game.
Further, the recently released Non-Alignment 2.0 Foreign policy paper by a group of India’s leading policy makers has only reiterated this worldview.

Good point. The H1B1 visas are also an avenue that many young Indians use.

Never in the history of the world has there been a continental-size country that opened itself up to the extent the USA has.

It is in this background that I am amazed by some Asians, Indians included, and Arabs so relentlessly anti-USA. These are folks who are keen to see their kids born in the USA, so that they qualify for US citizenship, keen to get a US education for them, keen to use the free market conditions of that country.

Agreed, and I'd say your numbers are low on the number of Indian Americans in the US, which is depressing because you'd figure we'd have better relations because of it.

Indians own successful businesses in all areas of our economy, from IT to Wall Street, to gas stations and restaurants. I know tons of second-generation Indians myself, their diaspora is growing incredibly. It is a shame these ties have not be fully taken advantage of.

Of course, the far greater and longer-lived Chinese/Japanese diaspora didn't prevent a great war (Japan), and more a century of distrust (China). Luckily, Indians mostly speak english, and hold strong, enduring ties to western civilization, which is a huge advantage in bilateral ties.

It feels to me atleast, that we are pursuing relations with India as a long-term, serious ally of the likes of western europe/australia/japan, and more or less putting yearly bandaids on our relationship with china simply because of how powerful they've become.

Ever since Obama did his Bunga-Bunga Bhangra in Mumbai, the Hegemon has been to draw India into his bed by weaning off the dependence on its teddy-bear. The Hegemon has been growing increasingly paranoid of his old Pakis ally-love may carry out a Bobbit cut soon.

Countries have relations. It is too simplistic to think in terms of 'love' or 'hate' as the only options. As we do with our colleagues at work, countries look for partnerships with each other for common benefit.

TE may be viewing USA, India and China as countries with 'weightage' or 'gravitas' in Asia. Therefore, the nature and scope of relations between the three are worthy of study.

It is in India's interest to have excellent relations with both the USA and China. Currently, India has no territorial issues with the USA. But it has such issues with China.

Reg. recent conditional exemption given to India from the imposition of sanctions in respect of its import of crude oil from Iran, the article gives an impression that the United States has done so in the larger, long-term interest of consolidating strategic partnership with India. To the extent the inference is justified, it would appear that all the hullabaloo being raised in the West about the need to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions by substantially restricting its crude oil export need not be taken as seriously as intended?

IRAN and her nuclear projects have posed a few issues in India-USA relations. Here what is clear is the difference between India as a medium power, concerned solely with regional and immediate interests, and the USA as a global super-power, concerned with global strategic consequences of IRAN possessing atomic bombs.

Premier Manmohan Singh and SM Krishna have shown their soft and best side to senior US officials, in being able to convince them of the dire economic consequences for India, should she stop buying Iranian crude oil. None of the prickliness that past Indian leaders had shown US leaders and officials.

In their system of government, the USA is used to being persuaded through rational and/or policy arguments, the USA seems to have accepted India's compulsions.

US acceptance of this may also be due to the fact that India has not compromised US interests in relation to the middle east and persian gulf in other ways.

In that background, your conclusion is not justified that US policies towards Iran, to the extent they are designed to bring Iran's nuclear projects under the control of IAEA can be ignored.

Much confusion surrounds the US exemption to India for buying Iraninan oil. Some portray it as US bending over backwards to please India. Some paint it as India being firmly in US camp and conspiring against China. Some like to think that US is somehow diluting it's nuke stand, given that oil purchase from India will involve large sums of money and hence more funds for Iranian nuke program.

The reality is that many other nations have also got such exemptions. They are - Malaysia, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan. And the basis of the exemptions are - willingness to cut purchases from Iran as much as possible. All of these as well as India has done much to earn this waiver. Moreover EU and Japan were already exempt. So waiver of India is not such a earth shattering news.

Then there is the question of alternatives. If India does not buy oil from Iran, it is pressed with some hard choices. Having no oil of it's own, it is critically dependent on foreign purchase. And being a developing nation, it needs a lot of oil to fuel it's growth. And if such a nation can afford to do it, it will disobey any restriction imposed by any other nation. India is not entirely in such a position, but it is perfectly capable of shredding any sanction to bits. It has done so in the past regarding nuke weapons and oil purchases are peanuts compared to that. A full blown economic fight between India and US is something both can hardly afford at the present time. Iranian oil is not of such a high strategic value that US junks it's relation with India for it's sake. In fact, US would like to play the waiver like a strategic tool. As long as India is willing to cut down purchase, it makes a lot of sense to waive it from sanctions. It gives US the credit for something which was anyway going to happen. Smart move by Hillary.

OK, what will this do to Iranian nuke program. It may give more funds to Iranian state but not necessarily any more funds for the nuke program. If Iran is hell bent on nukes, it would have already earmarked funds for the nuke program regardless of Indian cash. The big question is, even if it has funds can it really go full steam nuclear ?

For that it has to depend on foreign assistance. The only nations with nuke weapon tech are US, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan. The undeclared ones are probably Israel and North Korea to some extent. The only nation that has used sales/transfer of nuke weapon tech in the past for strategic ally-ship objectives (meaning using such sales to forge ally-ship) is China (vis-a-vis Pakistan). And in all probability it is heavily repenting that mistake. West and Russia are the last nations which will enable any kind of nuke weapons program anywhere. The eternally inscrutable India sees itself as one of a kind nation in the world and considers nobody suitable enough to help with such weapons. That leaves Pakistan. It is not much predictable what this rogue nation can do, but US is going to heavily pound it's ass (meaning nuke it) if it indulges in any such misadventure.

So from where will Iran get nuke weapons ? In all probability, it is just playing a game of bluff. Within 5-10 years, it will have to abandon the weapons program and it is just buying some time for that. And US is probably assured of that so it is generous in handing out waivers.

To sum it all, this waiver is a non issue as far as US-India friendship is concerned. Those who are still raising it are upto some mischief or are yet to see through.

My intention in making the observation in question on an otherwise well-written article was to draw the attention of those interested to the flank left unguarded by the author while propounding his thesis. You have now made a valiant effort to do the needful.Thanks.

I am gratified to receive so much of your attention. My reply to you would be the same as given to indica; adding that you seem to have needlessly made a mountain out of a molehill. Thanks nevertheless for your input.

What a pity ..this so called India ( a patch work of tribes)..even with atomic bomb ..pathetically now look towards USA for protection from Greater China...

The bald headed "Ms" at South Block have done their best so now Greater China has surrounded the so called India ....in Seychells Greater China is building Naval Base ...these duds at the South Block worked day and night to Isolate so called India even from India loving people in neighbouring countries.Today all neighouring countries are anti-Indian...and this is burning higher every minute.

Chinese are laughing...paper economist Sardar can`t even smile...imported woman has got her native passport if necessary she can run away.

Better give the lands in this so called India back to Maharajahs ...they won`t loot ..and cheat people in this modern days they will develop their states.

Journalits who expose corruption in this poverty India are being masscared in the day light.( In Greater China it is not happening).another sign of DEMOCK-CRAZY..but in real democracy specially in the West this press critisism is encouraged.

when in TE forum, you will soon learn to ignore freeman, PL123, landofindus, etc ... they believe so much in uniformity that their answers are exactly the same whatever be the question. and that answer is

This makes me feel good. I read a lot of anti-US sentiment in these forums. The sentiment is both deserved and undeserved by the US, but it is always good to know that the Chinese are just as crazy and convoluted as us Yanks. Thanks for cheering us up China;)

Hey guys- The Economist has a survey about their website, and, significantly, some fields about suggestions for improvements. Whether they'll actually take those into account is up for debate, but seeing as these Asian articles have perhaps the most troll-ridden comment sections I thought you all might be interested.